Kasabian - 48:13

Kasabian have been described by some as the love child of Primal Scream and The Stone Roses with the swagger of Oasis, a comment that has put a lot of pressure on the band over their 17 year long career. After hitting their peak with third album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, the band continued the same success with follow up Velociraptor!that had many fans wondering how they could possibly top it, which is a reasonable question.

How on earth do you change the style of Kasabian's music while still keeping everything that makes it so appealing? Well if you're Sergio Pizzorno, you don the UV Splatwear tops and pick up glowsticks and infuse so many dance and rave elements that your album becomes the music embodiment of designer drug ecstasy. This is evidently clear in 48:13's lead single "Eez-eh" which is just made for drinking, lasers, and dancing your problems away. It has Kasabian staying true to their crazy nature while delivering a killer chorus, something that almost every track on this album has. When "Treat" is brought to the table, all worries about Kasabian's experimentation can be laid to rest as they deliver a centrepiece track with their trademark animal-esque squeals. "Treat" is preceded by "Doomsday" which offers psychedelic beats and synths that make it sound like a more mental The Horrors song.

One of the most noteworthy moments of 48:13 comes from when you start up the album. Intro track "(Shiva)" sounds vaguely like a Fuck Buttons song with the pleasant synths; then comes the colossal build up which delivers the mammoth track, "Bumblebee," a song with so much energy it makes the Large Hadron Collider look pathetic in comparison. It finishes with an onslaught of drums and guitars and leaves with a silence before "Stevie's" orchestrated intro leads you into a false sense of security before pushing you into a song that can only be described as something that wouldn't go amiss in a James Bond movie.

48:13 isn't all raving and kicking about though, as shown by "Clouds" which is much calmer than what we're used to; Tom Meighan's voice echoes like a pilot making announcements on a pleasant flight. Well, that's until the turbulence kicks in and beats and guitar riffs are kicking all over the place before everything turns back to normal for the most part. It is a welcome change to the energetic songs that came before it. Penultimate track "Bow" is one big music juxtaposition which contains bitter break up lyrics layered over some sweet and interesting beats, showing that Kasabian are just as good slowed down as they are jumping all over the place like a kid after eating some smarties.

If there's any shortcomings to be called out then it would need to be"Glass" as the odd sound is pretty stale and looks weak in comparison to the rest of the tracks on offer. As 48:13 reaches its final track," S.P.S" has Meighan asking us “Didn't we all have such a good time?” With rave and dancing infused songs that still stay true to the band's nature as well as some beautifully crafted calm songs, a good time is a massive understatement.

Recommended If You Like

Primal Scream, Indie RockWest Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

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